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Chapter 20
Previous Chapter The man in the tweed coat paced around the small confinement, trying to calm himself down from what had transpired. To the majority of the students, that class was nothing but an interesting discussion. Many students had lined up afterwards to ask questions. Yes, they were all brilliant minds in the making, but they had no idea what they were dealing with. He would have gladly discussed these subjects with them had it not been for that familiar voice. He wouldn’t be this rattled had it not been for that familiar smirk. It couldn’t be… The chime of the elevator broke the professor’s train of thought. He walked briskly through the doors and down the hallway. Despite this institution being a community college, Terrace Grove had spared no expense in ensuring that even their junior college presented itself as top-notch. The décor of the buildings rivaled those of private universities. And due to his qualifications, he was given an enormous, luxurious office space. He paused outside of his office room’s door. He could feel it. Something was strangely off. The professor kept a hand inside his coat as he opened the door. He looked around. It was empty. The room consisted of large, filled bookshelves along the walls. The large desk in the center was made of mahogany. A large, black sofa sat in the corner. He opened the window curtains to the view below. Perhaps it was just his mind playing tricks on him. “Nice lecture.” The professor spun around on the spot, his sleek black handgun already drawn and pointed at the intruder by time his motion completed. He growled. “Get out of my office. Now.” A slender figure, clad in a hooded midnight black robe, was reclining in the sofa that had just been empty a moment ago. She glanced nonchalantly at the armed man. “Put that toy away," she said in a dismissive tone. "You know those don’t work on us.” The professor instantly recognized the familiar female voice. The woman allowed her hood to drop, revealing flowing, medium length black hair and a pale complexion with blue eyes that suggested her natural hair color was likely blonde. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties, and would be quite attractive were it not for the strange unease that one felt in her presence. “Sabrina.” “Doctor Randall. I’m glad you remember me. I enjoyed being a student for a day. I hope you likewise enjoyed that question I posed.” “Didn’t the other students find it strange to see someone dressed like you?” Sabrina smiled. Or was it another smirk? “Of course not. I was wearing a typical college student’s outfit. The acceptable fashion of this time is quite risqué.” The professor kept his gun pointed at Sabrina. “Really now. Perhaps you should show me.” Sabrina laughed. “My, my, how forward of you. But there is no way that I am disabling my cloak while you have that thing pointed at me.” She pushed brushed a lock of black hair behind her ear, still smirking as she continued. “Nice try, though. Since we both know that there is no way you would win in a fight, why don't you hear me out?" Randall lowered his gun and put it back into his coat. “What do you want? How did you find me?” Sabrina chuckled. Randall felt a shiver run down his spine. “Are you really surprised that we were able to find you? An Oxford PhD who teaches at a community college under an alias? Really, what are you doing here?” “I’m trying to start a new life, free of the immoral burdens you’ve placed on my work!” “What, did you get another doctorate in ethics? There is nothing wrong with what we are doing.” Randall felt the growl come back into his voice. “Kidnapping. Imprisonment. Murder. Involuntary experimentation. There is nothing wrong with those?” The woman lightly flipped her hair. “Not when you consider the end goal. This time period has a saying. What is it, you have to crack some eggs to make an omelet?” Randall felt a vein bulge on his forehead. “You are comparing human lives to eggs? Our time has seen destruction and massacre on a scale large enough to forever impact our history books. What you people are attempting is another genocide!” “We are selectively removing individuals in a population that can cause extreme harm to the rest of you. If anything, we are doing this society a favor.” “And what of the innocents? The ones who never asked to have such mutations? The ones who use their supernatural abilities for good? All you do is take those blessings away from them!” “Blessings? Those abilities never rightfully belonged to them. You should be aware of this. You know our organization’s history.” Randall slammed his hands on the desk out of frustration. “All you’ve told me is a fairy tale! And nothing about what you monsters have done with my research!” The slender woman sank into the sofa. Her body submerged and disappeared into the seat, as if the leather was a highly viscous fluid that permitted her to pass through it. A black dot appeared on the center of the mahogany desk, right in front of where Randall was standing. The small circle grew rapidly in size, and the slender woman who had been reclining on the sofa earlier rose from the black circumference. Still wearing her midnight robe, she sat on the desk, facing Randall, lightly swinging her legs back and forth. Randall kept his guard up against the act of perceived innocence. “Doctor Randall, you think that I’m a monster?” Sabrina pouted. Randall felt another shiver run through him. “I think that you are all performing terrible inhumane crimes, leading to an ultimate goal that can not possibly be beneficial to society. The fact that you are hiding your end objective is proof enough that you yourselves understand that what you are doing is wrong.” Sabrina maintained her gaze. “We have hidden nothing from you.” “Nothing? Then tell me! What is your end goal?” “You do not need that information to solve the Equation.” Randall glared at the woman sitting in front of him. “I consider that hiding information from me. Why do you need me to solve the Equation, and what do you plan on using the results for?” Sabrina let out a soft sigh. “Our Leader has a plan for all of us.” “Sounds like the brainwashing of a cult. At this point, I don’t care about what you’re going to do to me. I refuse to work for you.” A smile crept onto Sabrina’s face. “Oh, you are going to work for us. You are going to want to work for us.” “And how will you achieve that? You’re asking me to solve humanity's most complex problem, one that has remained unsolved for centuries.” “And you will surely be able to find a solution to it,” Sabrina responded airily. “It’s impossible. The greatest mathematical minds, the most intelligent of supercomputers, cannot move past the Equation’s current state due to the three conditions that still cannot be defined,” Randall explained, an impatience growing in his voice. “I understand the state that you left the Equation in before you disappeared. And I will now explain why I am here.” Her previously airy tone faded as she continued. “One of the conditions has been confirmed.” The professor forced a laugh. “Hah! You’ve found a way to divide by zero?” “No, we have found evidence that one of the conditions still exists. We have found someone who can manipulate ki. Healing and destruction. Life and death.” Randall was visibly stunned. He quickly regained his composure. “Garick? Didn’t he commit suicide to prevent you from obtaining his powers?” Sabrina shook her head. “He did, but it is not him. It turns out that he had a student. We have already tracked him down. He is in the process of being captured as we speak.” Randall realized that his legs had been instinctively quivering in fear during the entire conversation due to the presence of the woman before him. The new development suddenly brought a calm serenity to the professor. “The Duality condition. Manifestation of humanity’s dual nature. Then this means-“ “That’s right. You must be thinking of her right now. She can be saved,” Sabrina said softly. Another cocky smile spread across her fair-skinned complexion. “But only if you can find a method to do so. We provide the tools, and you solve the Equation. How does it sound?” Randall stood still, deep in thought. At last, the stony silence was broken. “I will cooperate under the condition that you allow me to conduct my own research simultaneously. And that I am to be released without harm to myself or my family upon completion of the task.” “Just as expected,” Sabrina smirked. Randall scowled. “Just get your witchcraft over with.” Sabrina stood up and raised her right hand, which was holding a swirling black ball. “Watch your tone. You are lucky we are sparing your life and giving you this opportunity.” She tossed the ball above Randall’s head. The professor stood still as the sphere of swirling darkness seemed to explode over him and seep down his body. “What about my classes? My students?” the professor inquired as every inch of his body turned to black. “I’ve already taken care of that. Every conscious student in that classroom had their most recent memories rewritten. Your boss has been taken care of. Your absence will not be noticed.” A black dot grew on the floor between them. As it grew larger, engulfing their feet, the two slowly sank into the ground. Eventually, all that was left above the floor were their heads, and, soon after, nothing remained except for the black circle that shrank back into nothingness. … … Ever since he had stepped out of that classroom, Kaz found it hard to concentrate. “Say, Kuroi, what was that last lecture even about?” Kuroi appeared flustered. “The nerve of the administration here. Sending a replacement teacher who gave no useful insight into a class before declaring its cancellation. I was looking forward to the subject, too.” Kaz raised an eyebrow. “Wait, what? I kept on waking up to loud outbursts. Something about dividing by zero.” “''Wait what'' is right. You really need to stop sleeping in class. Dividing by zero? What are you talking about? How did you even pass high school? Are you sure you’re living more in real life than in those daydreams you have?” Kaz’s gaze narrowed as he walked. Something isn’t right here. A sharp pain shot through his skull. Kaz clenched at his forehead. For an instant, he was reminded of a popular book series, although that thought was quickly replaced by countless images and sounds surging through his mind. “Kaz, are you okay? Kaz?! Kaz!” The world faded to black. … … The stench of stale urine was everywhere. Marcus groggily opened his eyes. Where was he? His mind was spinning with images. Flashes of a hooded man closing in on his numb, unresponsive body. He expected to hear the loud police sirens that had been in crescendo right before he had passed out. There was only peaceful silence intermittently broken by the noises made by the occasional passing vehicle. “Get up.” The stranger’s voice snapped Marcus Cato back to life. His military training had conditioned him to instantly become alert in the face of a sudden unknown circumstance. He looked around and assessed the situation. He appeared to be behind an overpass. Litter and trash were everywhere. “Don’t go back home. They’re looking for you.” The voice was gravelly and gruff. Marcus looked and saw a man in a patched-up cloak with a scraggly beard. His body ached all over. Did this man save him? “Who are you?” Marcus asked, his voice commanding an authoritative tone. “Doesn’t matter who I am. Who you are will get you a fate worse than death. I’m only going to help you this far. The rest is up to you.” Before Marcus had a chance to respond, the man turned and walked away. After a few steps, he instantly disappeared from sight. Next Chapter